Saturday, January 22, 2011

Peek-a-boo you

Today I was playing with Abbott on the floor, using his burp rag to cover his face lightly and then pulling it off and saying, "Boo!" We've played it this way maybe 3 times in his life. And it usually ends after the second or third reveal, when he grabs the rag and starts chewing the heck out of it. But today he took it and clumped it up over his face. And then he just left it there. I said to Jeffrey, "Boy, this tells me that he is not ready for a blanket in the bed." See, I'm safety oriented. So I didn't move it off his face when he did it. I wanted him to learn how to clear occlusions for himself. But I was confused, why wasn't he moving this from his face? It's light, and he's a strong kid. I just watched, confused at his obvious lack of survival skills, as the seconds ticked on.

Suddenly, Jeffrey said, "Boo!" And Abbott pulled it off his face and giggled. *He* was playing a game with us. He put it back up on his face, and we said "Boo!" again, and he pulled it back down off his face and giggled.

At our first birthing class, our instructor asked us all what we were most looking forward to. Most people said something fuzzy, like holding their baby or feeding her. I didn't know what to say; off the top, I blurted, getting to know his sense of humor. I didn't really know what that meant, of course. Today I got a glimpse. I cannot wait for more.